I've been shooting handguns for about 20 years now, mostly semi-autos. I have gotten a couple of revolvers over the years but just can't warm up to them. I just took my model 10 out this weekend and I can't shoot it as good as any of my semi's. I don't feel comfortable with them (a 1911 just feels right to me) So do I give up and stick with just semi's or do I force myself to work with the revolvers till some missed brain connection kicks in and I see what I'm missing?
Maybe revolvers just arn't for me.
- Thread starter fgr39
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
It is hard for me to imagine anyone not being able to shoot a S&W Model 10 in cocked SA slow fire better then almost any run of the mill combat grade auto on the market.
Shooting them DA does take some practice, but SA should be a home run!
As for what you are missing?
Well, if you were a reloader, you would be missing crawling around on your hands & knees in the gravel looking for the empty cases your bottom feeder chucked into the next time zone!
And you would be missing some of the finest crafted & finished real wood & steel handguns ever made by man.
Old S&W & Colt revolvers had someones heart & soul put into them.
New combat Tupperware has none of that, for sure.
rc
Shooting them DA does take some practice, but SA should be a home run!
As for what you are missing?
Well, if you were a reloader, you would be missing crawling around on your hands & knees in the gravel looking for the empty cases your bottom feeder chucked into the next time zone!
And you would be missing some of the finest crafted & finished real wood & steel handguns ever made by man.
Old S&W & Colt revolvers had someones heart & soul put into them.
New combat Tupperware has none of that, for sure.
rc
Do you want to be a good revolver shooter? No one says you have to be.
OTOH, if you're asking whether it'll be possible to get good with enough practice, I'd say "sure". For many, a DA revolver seems to take more trigger time to get good with than other platforms. Fortunately, revolvers lend themselves nicely to dry fire practice.
I apreciate the craftsmanship, I do reload and it is nice not chasing cases. Yes SA is awesome but I'm not going to shoot it like that all the time. I really do want to like them but I have so much more trigger time on semi's
and I prefer steel semi's, not much on plastic (i do own them and they have there place tho)
and I prefer steel semi's, not much on plastic (i do own them and they have there place tho)
Hondo 60
Member
Couldn't have said it any better!
I say shoot whatever you like to shoot. And, yes, LIKE to shoot, not meaning the fastest or most accurate. If you like shooting the semi, I doubt you'll ever get better with a revolver. If you like shooting the revolver, accuracy and speed will come eventually.
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
I shoot better/faster with 1911s mainly because I've probably burned 3/4 million rounds through'em over the last 50 years...but revolvers are still my first love.
Get a SA revolver and don't worry about the DA!
That's only half-serious. If you plan to use it for defense, I'd definitely want a DA, but there are some personality types out there that struggle with not mastering the DA whether it is because it is there taunting you, whether you feel like it's cheating to always go SA, etc. I don't know what the root cause is exactly, but that's how I was with my GP100. I just felt like that was the way it should be shot as its primary function. I've probably shot it SA less than 100 times, 3-4 thousand in DA. I got a Ruger Bisley, and I am perfectly content to shoot it SA because that's all it does. SA guns are great for the range and hunting, and in skilled hands, personal defense.
Maybe I'm just neurotic
That's only half-serious. If you plan to use it for defense, I'd definitely want a DA, but there are some personality types out there that struggle with not mastering the DA whether it is because it is there taunting you, whether you feel like it's cheating to always go SA, etc. I don't know what the root cause is exactly, but that's how I was with my GP100. I just felt like that was the way it should be shot as its primary function. I've probably shot it SA less than 100 times, 3-4 thousand in DA. I got a Ruger Bisley, and I am perfectly content to shoot it SA because that's all it does. SA guns are great for the range and hunting, and in skilled hands, personal defense.
Maybe I'm just neurotic
mbopp
Member
Actually, I was the opposite. My M-19 felt like an extension of my hand, and a 1911 felt awkward. But I'm getting better at shooting the slab side Government a friend of mine has.
orionengnr
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I was never a revolver guy until ~5 years ago. Got into a 4" M66 for a too-good-to-pass-up price, subsequently went through a series of Goldilocks J-frames to carry. This one's too heavy, this one has an external hammer, the Scandium ones kick like mules....never did find one that was "just right". Co-incidentally (or perhaps not) I never shot any of them to an acceptable degree of accuracy.
So I gave up on J-frames, but not on revolvers. I shoot a K- or N-frame reasonably well DA (I do not shoot SA) so that is what I own.
So I gave up on J-frames, but not on revolvers. I shoot a K- or N-frame reasonably well DA (I do not shoot SA) so that is what I own.
GP100man
Member
Put a set of GRIPPER pachmeyers on that 10 then try it !!
Every S&W I`ve ever owned as purty as the grips were I improved comfort & shootability by going to a rubber grip !
Every S&W I`ve ever owned as purty as the grips were I improved comfort & shootability by going to a rubber grip !
dashootist
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Revolvers and autos are like Macs and PCs. You really like one or the other. Few like both.
Deanimator
Member
Shooting a revolver well, especially double action, requires a LOT of practice.
Get yourself a copy of Ed McGivern's "Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting", and do a LOT of dry firing.
Get yourself a copy of Ed McGivern's "Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting", and do a LOT of dry firing.
roaddog28
Member
Practice some more with your model 10. Its one of the finest revolvers ever made. Semi-autos are a different animal. I have been shooting over thirty years. I have revolvers and semi-autos. There is nothing like shooting a great revolver double action. It takes time to master but you have experience with handguns so there is no reason that you can't become as good with the revolver as a semi-auto. I bet it took some time to shoot your semi-auto too. Hang in there.
Howard
Howard
Old krow
Member
I got some advise on here a while back concerning shooting revolvers in DA. It was mostly concerning the effects of learning trigger control on a DA revolver. It took a little while for me to warm up to it. I contribute that mostly to it feeling awkward and the heavy trigger. Since then I've probably shot 1k-1.5k rounds through mine in DA and rarely shoot in SA anymore.
I also have much more trigger time on autos. The biggest difference for me was the difference in the triggers and trigger control required between a revolver and a 1911. The revolver requires more time because more trigger control is needed to pull the heavier DA revolver trigger compared to the light weight SA 1911 trigger. However, once I got past that it was smooth sailing. Now they feel completely natural. The 1911 is still my favorite to shoot, but revolvers moved up the ranks.
I'm actually reading that right now.
I say give it some time. It can't hurt anything. You were going to burn ammo anyway weren't you? But, if you do not like them, then you just don't like them.
I also have much more trigger time on autos. The biggest difference for me was the difference in the triggers and trigger control required between a revolver and a 1911. The revolver requires more time because more trigger control is needed to pull the heavier DA revolver trigger compared to the light weight SA 1911 trigger. However, once I got past that it was smooth sailing. Now they feel completely natural. The 1911 is still my favorite to shoot, but revolvers moved up the ranks.
I'm actually reading that right now.
I say give it some time. It can't hurt anything. You were going to burn ammo anyway weren't you? But, if you do not like them, then you just don't like them.
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
For me, the trick to doyble-action shooting is to exert a steadily increasing pressure on the trigger until it moves, and maintaining it all the way through until the hammer breaks. Strive for a smooth, constant pull...going as slow as you have to in order to keep it smooth. Pull the trigger straight back. Just as important is a smooth trigger release, and maintaining contact with my finger until it returns. Time the trigger release as you bring the gun down out of recoil and back on target...and repeat the sequence...always striving for smooth rather than fast. Fast will come later, as you learn to apply that increasing pressure in a compressed time frame.
I also found that a firm, nearly crushing grip on the gun...almost to the point of my strong hand shaking, along with a firm push-pull with the arms...aids me in moving nothing except the trigger finger.
Remember: Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Let the speed come in its own good time, and you'll learn to love a good double-action revolver.
I also found that a firm, nearly crushing grip on the gun...almost to the point of my strong hand shaking, along with a firm push-pull with the arms...aids me in moving nothing except the trigger finger.
Remember: Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Let the speed come in its own good time, and you'll learn to love a good double-action revolver.
BCRider
Member
There's no doubt that shooting revolver well requires a whole other grip and that you use your trigger finger in a different way. I wish that the Jerry Miculek videos were still available online since those four 5 minute vids were GOLD for advice on hold and trigger pulling for anyone struggling to shoot a revolver well.
In my case I tried a Model 10 one day early on when I first started shooting a couple of years back as a "change of pace" from my usual 9mm semi autos. I was shocked when I found myself shooting in both SA and DA with groups that were TIGHTER than my best 9mm semi auto groups I'd had up until that point. And to this day I can shoot my revolvers typically a little tighter than I can shoot most of my semis.
The odd thing was that during a recent Speed Steel match where I shot my S&W Model 10 I was making all my 5 target runs within the 6 rounds in the cylinder until we moved down the hill to the lower stages. I then had a hell of a time until the timer said I was missing to the right. I immediately knew that I was moving my trigger finger in my semi auto style instead of my revolver style. I swithed how I was moving for the next shot and went back to my 9 out of 10 hits average instead of about 5 out of 10 as I did with that one pass through the stage.
So yeah, shooting revolver IS different. Try some dry firing with the empty case sitting on the barrel spine just behind the front sight. When it doesn't fall off in one or two DA dry fires you're on your way to revolver fundom.
In my case I tried a Model 10 one day early on when I first started shooting a couple of years back as a "change of pace" from my usual 9mm semi autos. I was shocked when I found myself shooting in both SA and DA with groups that were TIGHTER than my best 9mm semi auto groups I'd had up until that point. And to this day I can shoot my revolvers typically a little tighter than I can shoot most of my semis.
The odd thing was that during a recent Speed Steel match where I shot my S&W Model 10 I was making all my 5 target runs within the 6 rounds in the cylinder until we moved down the hill to the lower stages. I then had a hell of a time until the timer said I was missing to the right. I immediately knew that I was moving my trigger finger in my semi auto style instead of my revolver style. I swithed how I was moving for the next shot and went back to my 9 out of 10 hits average instead of about 5 out of 10 as I did with that one pass through the stage.
So yeah, shooting revolver IS different. Try some dry firing with the empty case sitting on the barrel spine just behind the front sight. When it doesn't fall off in one or two DA dry fires you're on your way to revolver fundom.
I'm like you, only reversed. I can't really warm up to most semi-autos. I figure life is too short to worry about it. Shoot what you like to shoot and make that work for you. To me if I'm determined to be an all-around "pistolero" but don't enjoy it, why am I doing it? I'm happy shooting revolvers, mostly single-action revolvers. Took me too many years and cost me too much money to figure that out, though.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
It should be a fairly well known fact that in order to get 'good' with anything, you have to spend time with it. Decide whether or not you really want to be able to shoot a revolver well, then proceed like there's no tomorrow. Don't fiddle-fart around with half a dozen guns every time you go to the range. It might be fun but you won't really get anywhere like that. Make it the only handgun you shoot for the next year.
oldfool
Member
yeah, what Craig said
been doing that myself for the last year now (if you count multiple clone Ks as being "one")
it makes a difference
but... can't stand it much longer, too many nice autoloaders gathering too much dust in the safe
gonna have to do something about that someday soon
been doing that myself for the last year now (if you count multiple clone Ks as being "one")
it makes a difference
but... can't stand it much longer, too many nice autoloaders gathering too much dust in the safe
gonna have to do something about that someday soon
I would agree with both of Tuner's posts. I've burned more ammo through 1911s than any other model of firearm. That being said, my first center fire handgun was a Ruger SA (357 Blackhawk) and my first duty weapon as a young Deputy was an N-frame S&W (M28-2). I switched to the 1911 for duty when I got off probation and carried one model or other from then on. I still carry a semi auto for CCW but have gone back to N-frame Smiths and 3-screw Ruger FTs just for fun. I can shoot a 1911 faster and more accurately. I can shoot a Glock faster and reasonably accurately. But just for fun I shoot the Rugers and the S&Ws for the fun and challenge of mastering DA.
Dave
Dave
I really like what CraigC said. At least, that's how I have come to look at it and have gravitated toward shooting what I like and what I want to be better at. At my age, current skill level and time and money budget for shooting, I'm not likely to become a "master of all trades" and would rather be the master of one. I have spent too much time in the past doing what he suggested not to do.
And, like old fool, I count various models with the same action as "one", at least for my purposes.
And, like old fool, I count various models with the same action as "one", at least for my purposes.
Guillermo
member
As everyone has said, practice makes perfect, or at least moves you in that direction.
I find that the more guns I take to the range the worse my groups.
Like suggested, take that model 10 to the range exclusively for a while. You will eventually find a new friend.
On the other hand, being "stuck" with a 1911 is no horrible thing.
I find that the more guns I take to the range the worse my groups.
Like suggested, take that model 10 to the range exclusively for a while. You will eventually find a new friend.
On the other hand, being "stuck" with a 1911 is no horrible thing.
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